Description
In “Heart of Gold” Hagen fuses poetry and music “like a peach in its skin,” to quote Virgil Thomson. Four-part treble voices are beautifully laid out in both accompaniment and melodic textures, each developing in an organic way. The whole song gradually progresses to-wards a harmonic resolution from minor to major, bringing about a rhetorical reconstruction of a shattered heart. The low murmuring accompaniment figure in the alto voices gently propels the song onward, almost urging the sopranos to express their urgent message of healing and hope. Imitation and counterpoint break up the homophony, creating independent and interesting parts for each voice.
~ Jonathan Campbell
Performed by 2025 Colorado All-State Treble Choir, under the direction of Jennaya Robison
Text
Like the lines of your hands
and the scars on my back
we wear our history
and when I look at you
all I can see
is your heart
the jagged lines;
each break, each bend
of gold.
~ Julia Klatt Singer